Antibuffet seat



Nov. 25, 1952 B. T. GUYTON ET AL ANTIBUFFET SEAT 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledJan. 50, 1948 INVENTORS F. J. Lmolsfrom B. T. Guyion m. 65'. 7 0 41,

ATTORNEY Nov. 25, 1952 B. T. GUYTON ET AL 2,619,157

' I ANTIBUFFET SEAT Filed Jan. 30, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 2 r MQWIIMMQZin INYENTORS BY F. J. Llndsfrom ATTOR/VL' Y Nov. 25 1952 B. T. GUYTON ETAL 2,619,157

ANTIBUFFET SEAT Filed Jan. 30, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS F. J. Llndsfrom I B. T. Guyion 68 a I ATTORNEY B. GUYTQN ET AL Filed Jan. 30

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II I q. l I I I I I G N I BY 1 l) ANTIBUFFET SEAT 5 Sheets-s 4 INVENTORsATTOR N 5y Nov. 25, 1952 Y B. T. GUYTON ET AL 7 iANTIBUFFET SEAT FiledJan. 30, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 I I (\I I INVENTORS L nd i m BY B, TGuywn RNEY Patented Nov. 25, 1952 ANTIBUFFET SEAT Boone T. Guyton,Milford, and Frithjof J. Lind- .strom, Stratford,v Conn., assignors toUnited Aircraft Corporation, East Hartford, Conn., a

corporation of Delaware Application January 30, 1948,.Serial N 0. 5,418

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to anti-buffet seatsfor airplanes. and moreparticularly to pilot seats for high performance aircraft.

In addition to the already familiar causes of pilot fatigue in longrange combat there are the important hazards and strains resulting fromthe bufieting of an aircraft, in storms or violent atmosphericconditions, during violent maneuvers in flight, and during inadvertenthard landings and landing crashes. Buifeting is also characteristic ofsome high speed aircraft when certain maneuvers are performedat greatspeed. Consequently, it is desirable to provide a seat which willproperly secure the pilot and prevent his being violently shaken orsuddenly dashed against the sides of the cockpit enclosure. Also, byeliminating the necessity of maintaining the muscular tension ordinarilyrequired to hold himself safely seated, the pilot's physical exertion isreduced, thereby allowing him to remain near peak efficiency for longerperiods.

An object of this invention is to provide a pilots seat which supportsthe pilot firmly in his seat, while affording him maximum freedom,comfort and protection from buiieting hazards.

A further object of this invention is to provide a seat with wing-likeprojections symmetrical with the seat back, which supports both the backand sides of the pilots torso.

Another object of the invention is to provide a seat having a backprovided with wing-like projections which can be adjusted laterally andvertically to snugly fit the bodies of varied sized pilots.

A further object of the invention is to provide a seat having a backprovided with such winglike projections and means operable by a pilotwhile seated in the seat to adjust these projections both verticallyrelative to the bottom of the seat and laterally relative to each otherto fit his body.

More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide animproved seat and mechanism for. adjusting the back portion relative tothe bottom portion; to more firmly secure the pilot by. increased areasupport, and to provide a release which causes the side supportingprojections to snap back and free the pilot of any restriction duringemergency exit.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from thefollowing detailed descriptionof the accompanying drawings whichillustrate one embodiment of the invention.

1 In these drawings; Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a seat embodyingthe invention;

2 Fig. 2 is a front view of the back structure of the seat with theseatback in phantom showing the mechanism immediately .aft of theseatback;

Fig. 3 isa. side elevation of the entire seatback as. mounted;

Fig. 4-. is a cross .section on line 4-4 of Fig. 3 showing the seat backinits smallest. lateral adjustment and withthe emergency position of theseat back projections shown in dotted lines; and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 with the seat back panels adjusted tothe fully extended lateral position.

Referring to Fig. 1, the seat of this invention comprises a cu-rvedseatback generally indicated by the letter A and a seat bottom B. Either theback Aor the bottom B can be modified to house the particular typeparachute and related equipment which the pilot usually carries whethersaid parachute is aseat pack, back pack or chest pack.

The back A of the seat is comprised of'back and side panels includingpartially curved rear sections I and 2, adjustably attached to upper andlower horizontal bars 3 and 4. Symmetrical, wing-like flanges 5 and- 6are attached'to. the curved adjacent sections I and 2, respectively, bypiano type hinges 1 to form the side panels of the relatively U-shapedback assembly.

As can be seen more clearly in Fig. 4, panels I and 2 have horizontallymounted tubes 8 attached thereto aft of said panels, about onethird fromthe top and parallel to the flat of the seat back assembly, which arereinforced by gussets 9. Panels 5 and 6 carry bifurcated brackets I0which straddle the ends of tubes 8 and inthe normal, full line positionof the panels are connected to tubes 8 by retractable pins II which arespring loaded to enter .alignedholes in the brackets II] and tubes 8.Brackets ID are suitably attached to the panels 5 and 6 by mountingplates I2 which conform to and are suitably,

permanently securedto the panels. Bungee cords I4 (Fig. 1)- are attachedbehind the seat back between panels 5 and I and panels 6 and 2 to exerttension which will tend to swing panels 5 and 6 outwardly into the openpositions thereof shown dotted in Fig. 4. By attaching a, suitable pullcable I6 to the retractable pins I I, it is possible to withdraw pins IIagainst the action of their springs and disengage the brackets ID from.the bars 8. and allowthe bungee cords to swing wings Sand 6 outwardlyabout hinges I. With panels. Eland Gin this open positionthe pilotiisfree to leave the aircraft in emergency without the danger of catchinghis clothes or equipment on the supporting panels 5 and 6. When thepanels 5 and 6 are open they are thus automatically held open by thetension of the bungee cords I4. Because the pins H are spring loaded, inthe open position of panels 5 and 6 the upper ends of these pins engagethe lower surfaces of brackets I ready to snap into the holes in thebrackets and the tubes when the panels are gain closed. It will thus beevident that the side panels and 6 when in their normal closed positionsalways have the same angular relation to their supporting back panels Iand 2.

Panels 1 and 2 (Fig. 4) are horizontally slidably mounted on bar 3 bymeans of sleeves I8 and integral butts welded to tubes 8. In addition,panels I and 2 are mounted on the opposing right and left hand threadedportions 24 and 22 respectively of bar 3 by correspondingly threadedsleeves 26 integral with butts 28 welded to mounting plates 12a whichare suitably fastened to the panels I and 2 in the vicinity of bar 3.The threaded portions 22 and 24 are of one piece and form the centerportion of bar 3, being attached to the outer bearing portions of thebar by spaced rivets 3a set at 90 to each other. Bar 3 is rotatablymounted in the brackets 29 and held in position by collars 30 and bolts32. As best seen in Fig. 2, panels I and 2 are also attached to bar 4 byhorizontally slidable sleeves 34. By rotating the adjusting knob 36,which is located on shaft 4 within easy reach of the seat occupant, theshaft 4 turns the affixed sprocket 38 which by means of the chain 40rotatessprocket 42, fixed to shaft 3, and the opposite threaded portions22, 24 of bar 3 thereby giving opposite lateral motion to sleeves 26.Sleeves 26, being attached to panels I and 2, transmit their lateralmovement to the latter thus affording width adjustment of the seat back.To prevent an aperture (Fig. 5) from existing between panels I and 2when separated, vertical laterally overlapping strips 44 are mountedthereon by screws or other means.

In order to comfortably position pilots of any stature, a verticaladjusting mechanism is provided by a jack screw assembly consisting of aknob 46 (Fig. 3) mounted on a vertical bar 48, the lower extremity ofwhich has attached thereto a threaded shaft 56 which mates with thefemale threaded portion of a sleeve 52 rotatably secured to the seatbottom supporting structure. The upper end of the bar 43 is rotatablymounted in a socket in the lower portion l of bracket 29. Bracket 28 hasa vertical forked section (best seen in Fig. 2) forming double sleeves54 which receive a horizontal bar 5. Collars 56 located between sleeves54 are secured to bar 56 by bolts 61] and serve to position brackets 29while permitting pivotal movement on bar 55. Sleeve 6'! permits bar 56to be separated intermediate its ends to permit installation of sleeves54 and collars 58 on the bar. Near each lateral extremity, bar 56 has avertical sleeve 62 attached thereto, as by welding, which slidesvertically on jack screw guide rods 64. The guide rod 64 also serves asthe support for the seat back since it is firmly secured at its verticalextremities to structure in the aircraft by suitable pedestals 66.

To prevent misalignment of the seat on the jack screw guides 64,identical jack screw mechanisms are provided on each side of the seatback, these Jack screw mechanisms being intersleeve 52 thereby producingvertical motion of the shafts 4B and thereby the seat back proper.

The upper edegs of the wing-like projections 5 and 6 are grooved on bothsides (Fig. 5) to provide a recess H for installation of padding T2 toafford comfort under the pilots arms and eliminate sharpness. Suchpadding may be formed of a leather cover with suitable resilient fillingstitched together in place or this padding may consist entirely ofmolded rubber.

The seat bottom B can be of a standard type with a fiat or bucket typeupper surface to house a cushion or related parachute equipment.

In using the seat the pilot will turn knob 33 to properly adjust thewidth of the seat back and turn knob 46 to raise the seat back until thepadding [2 fits snugly under his armpits if so desired. A chain driven,screw threaded adjusting means is used to insure retention of the seatin its adjusted position.

This new type back will afford the pilot ample protection gainstbuifeting and will also permit easy and rapid egress from the cockpit inthe event of emergency since the pivoting wing portions will readilysnap back when the pins H are released by pulling release cable IS. Therelease cable may be connected to some other emergency exit releasemechanism so that all operations will be performed simultaneously.

It should be noted that in addition to the width and height adjustmentsof the flanges on the seat back, the anti-buffet seat will contain theconventional seat adjusting means including fore and aft seat movementsand vertical adjust ment of the entire seat.

While only one embodiment of the invention has been shown and described,it will be evident that various changes may be made in the constructionand the arrangement of the parts without departing from the scope of theinvention as defined by the claims.

What it is desired to secure by Letters Patent 1. An adjustable seatincluding a bottom portion, a back portion having pivoted wing-likeprojections adapted to occupy a forward generally parallel position inwhich they support the sides of an occupant of the seat and a releasedposition in which they are swung about their pivots out of supportingrelation, resilient means for biasing said projections into releasedposition, self-locking latch means for releasably locking each of saidprojections whenever they are moved into supporting position, mechanismin position to be controlled by the occupant while sitting in the seatfor adjusting said projections laterally relative to each other whilethe latter remain locked, and means readily accessible to the occupantwhile sitting in the seat for simultaneously releasing said latch meanswhereby said projections are simultaneously biased by said resilientmeans into released position.

2. An adjustable seat including a bottom portion, a back portion havingpivoted wing-like projections adapted to occupy a forward generallyparallel position in which they support the sides of an occupant of theseat and a released position in which they are swung about their pivotsout of supporting relation, means for individually releasably lockingeach of saidprojections in its respective supporting position,

means for constantly biasing said projections out of supportingrelation, self-locking mechanism for adjusting said projections bodilylaterally relative to each other while in their supporting position intofirm engagement with the sides of the occupant, and a single controlmeans operatively associated with each of said locking means and readilyaccessible to the occupant while supported by said projections forreleasing said locking means whereby said projections are simultaneouslymoved by said biasing means into their released positions.

3. In an airplane pilots seat, a bottom, a back, means for firmlysecuring the back and sides of the pilot against side motion includingwing-like projections pivoted on said back and extending forward aboutthe sides of the pilot, self-locking latch means for locking each ofsaid projections releasably in said forward pilot supporting position,self-locking means for adjusting said projections bodily toward and fromeach other while in said position, self-locking means for adjusting saidback vertically whereby said projections are brought into supportingpositions under the armpits of the pilot, and means readily accessibleto a pilot in the seat for efiecting instant release of said latchmeans.

4. In an adjustable pilot seat, a bottom portion, a back verticallydivided into two portions, each of which has a forwardly projecting wingpivotally mounted thereon, self-locking latch means for releasablysecuring said wings rigidly to said back portions against pivotalmovement in their forwardly projecting position, resilient meansassociated with each of said wings for biasing the same away from theirforwardly projecting positions, means accessible to a pilot seated inthe seat for moving said back portions laterally relative to each otherto adjust said wings bodily toward and away from each other intoengagement with his sides while said wings remain rigidly secured tosaid to said back portions, adjustable means accessible toa pilot seatedin the seat for moving said back portions vertically to provide supportunder the pilots armpits while said wings remain rigidly secured to saidback portions, and means readily accesto the the pilot while seated insaid seat and supported by said wings for releasing said latch means.

BOONE T. GUYTON.

FRITHJOF J. LINDSTROM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 360,855 Cooper Apr. 12, 1887527,056 Gilson Oct. 9, 1894 750,142 Wilson Jan. 19, 1904 782,364 SouleFeb. 14, 1905 786,326 Travers Apr. 4, 1905 1,074,615 Folmer Oct. 7, 19132,457,252 Martin Dec. 28, 1948 2,485,111 Robins Oct. 18, 1949

